


Dusk til Dawn

by clizziem



Series: Don't Smile at Me [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Hakoda (Avatar) is a Good Parent, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Katara (Avatar)-centric, Mentioned Suki, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, soft kataang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:27:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28390887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clizziem/pseuds/clizziem
Summary: Katara bites her lip and takes Aang’s wrist. “Let’s get inside, Aang,” she murmurs. She doesn’t know if she has it in her to watch her brother help the other boy limp into the house like she watched him limp into the car.Guilt swirls around her for that. That and for her text getting sent so late. And for how she never said anything when she thought something was wrong the multitudes of times Zuko came over to work on that stupid project.Katara on bringing Zuko home.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Don't Smile at Me [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2079291
Comments: 17
Kudos: 438





	Dusk til Dawn

**Author's Note:**

> Surprise, I can't get this little universe out of my head and I wasn't expecting so many folks to read part 1. Anyhoo, I love Katara and Zuko friendship and enjoy some soft Kataang.

Katara pulls into the garage and turns the engine off before taking seemingly the first breath since they picked Zuko up.

Who they hadn’t spoken to since that assignment he was working on with Sokka was turned in.

She unbuckles her seatbelt and twists in her seat to look in the back seat. Zuko fell asleep on Sokka a few minutes ago and Sokka doesn’t seem to notice her attention on him.

“I feel kind of bad that we have to wake him up,” Aang says quietly.

“If Suki were here, we wouldn’t have to,” Sokka mumbles. Katara glances between her brother stroking an unconscious boy’s hair and her boyfriend looking on the verge of tears and sighs. She gets out of the car and walks around to Zuko’s side.

“Try not to startle him too much,” Sokka says. “His ankle looks pretty bad.” Katara nods and puts her hand on Zuko’s arm.

It’s heartbreaking how quickly he jumps awake, nearly hitting Sokka in the nose. “Hey, it’s okay. We’re back and our house, remember?” She says as calmly as she can. Zuko gulps and nods. “Sokka, do you need me to help him?”

“I got him,” Sokka says and opens his car door. “Just let dad know what’s up.”

Katara bites her lip and takes Aang’s wrist. “Let’s get inside, Aang,” she murmurs. She doesn’t know if she has it in her to watch her brother help the other boy limp into the house like she watched him limp into the car.

Guilt swirls around her for that. That and for her text getting sent so late. And for how she never said anything when she thought something was wrong the multitudes of times Zuko came over to work on that stupid project.

Like how he refused to bring Sokka over to his house.

Or the time he came over with a purple wrist he kept trying to hide with his sweatshirt sleeve.

Or how he avoided Sokka’s questions about why he was limping for an entire week.

Katara didn’t think it was her place to say anything. And maybe she was praying she was wrong.

“Katara? You’re back from Gran-Grans already?” Her father asks, setting down a bowl he’s drying with a rag. She looks up from the floor and meets Hakoda’s eyes. Her father frowns and puts the rag over his shoulder. “What’s wrong, penguin?”

“I-” Katara starts but then the door opens behind her and Sokka and Zuko fumble their way into the kitchen. Hakoda’s eyes widen and he moves towards Sokka.

“Get him on the couch, is he hurt badly?” He asks. Katara watches Hakoda pick Zuko up and she flinches at the tiny plea of  _ no _ that escapes Zuko’s lips.

Somehow she knows he’s not trying to answer her dad’s question.

He’s scared.

“His ankle is broken and he’s saying his ribs hurt but I don’t think they’re broken,” Sokka says. Zuko whines as he’s laid down on the couch and he covers his eyes with his forearm, a flush on his cheeks.

“You didn’t bring him to the ER?” Hakoda asks a little loudly. Zuko whines again and Aang takes Katara’s hand. 

“It’s okay,” he whispers.

“His sister told us to wait for her to tell us to bring him to his uncle’s. They’ll take him from there.”

“It’s not okay,” Katara whispers back to Aang. “I didn’t say anything.”

Aang frowns for a second then sighs. “Katara, it’s not your fault. It might have been dangerous to report anything, anyway.”

Katara shakes her head and goes to grab a glass of water.

“We should be hearing from Azula soon,” Sokka says to someone and Zuko gives a tiny whimper. Katara turns to stare at her brother kneeling down beside Zuko on the floor. Her eyes drift from her brother to the angry scar on the other boy’s face. She remembers how he came into their seventh-grade homeroom with bandages over his eye, scratches on his cheeks, and a scowl. Everyone had stared at him.

Conversations abruptly stopped when he sat down in the back and pulled his hood over his head.

They promptly started up again when he lashed out at the teacher and got sent to the office only to return next block with his right eye red-rimmed and puffy.

She remembers offering him her notes on the first half of class and how he silently took them.

He never answered anyone’s questions about how he got it.

It’s so obvious now.

If that man he’s unfortunate enough to have for a father could break his ankle and leave him on the curb like garbage, the man could burn his eye.

“Katara? Katara!” Sokka’s voice snaps her back to reality and she realizes the water is flowing over her hand and into the sink. She shakes her head and turns the tap off. Drains a little of the water into the sink and hands it to Sokka.

“I’m really sorry, Zuko,” she says and finds herself planted in the room. Zuko blinks and glances between her and the floor.

“For...what?” He asks hoarsely.

Katara glances away from him. “I knew for a while, I think,” she confesses. “I could have stepped in weeks ago but…”

“Probably would have gotten me killed if you did,” Zuko says. Katara’s eyes fly back to him. “Ozai is... influential enough to get any authorities off his back. And since he doesn’t know any of you exist…” he trails off. Katara bites her lip. If Ozai didn’t know they existed, it would look like Zuko called for help. If this is what him getting kicked out looks like, she doesn’t want to think about what calling the police would look like. “Getting out of there… it had to be on his terms,” Zuko continues and then coughs, winces, and shuts his eyes.

Spirits, he looks exhausted and he has two more car rides and an ER visit left in his day.

“This is for the best,” Zuko says in a strained voice. Katara nods and heads to the freezer where she knows an ice pack always lives since Sokka usually comes home from soccer more than a little bruised. She takes it out and brings it over to place delicately on Zuko’s ankle. He gives her a tiny smile and she returns it. Even though the bruise under his lip is all she can look at.

“Well in that case,” she says. She gives his hand a gentle squeeze and then steps back. Sokka’s phone pings and he fishes it out of his pocket.

“Azula and Iroh will come here for him,” Sokka tells Katara. “She says they’ll be here in fifteen.” He looks over at Zuko, who nods sleepily. Sokka brushes some hair out of Zuko’s eyes and smiles sadly. “Almost over,” he murmurs. Katara suddenly feels like a spectator and she turns away and goes to sit with Aang on the stairs near the front door. She leans her head on Aang’s shoulder and sighs.

“How long do you think it’ll take until Sokka asks him out?” Aang says. Katara snorts and the first genuine smile since they left Gran-Gran’s cracks across her lips.

“I’ll bet two weeks,” she says.

Aang wraps an arm around her shoulder. “Nah, I think only ten days.”

“That’s specific.”

“Just giving myself enough wiggle room to properly win the bet,” Aang teases. Katara chuckles and closes her eyes. “I know you feel guilty about noticing earlier,” Aang continues. “But I think it’s worth noting that he didn’t message the group chat. Just you.” Her eyes open. “I think you made him feel safe or something. I mean, his crush on Sokka is obvious, but I think he sees you as a friend. Clearly one he feels safe enough to ask for help from.”

Katara glances over her shoulder towards the hushed voices of Zuko, Sokka, and Hakoda in the other room. A tiny smile comes again.

He did ask only her.

If she’s someone he feels safe around, she’ll do everything she can to keep it that way.

**Author's Note:**

> I have another part or two in mind if folks are interested! Or if you're not, I dunno, I'm going through a thing and this is coming out of me so.


End file.
